From Grappa to Grappas

Grappa,the never-changing distillate that set the throat aflame, is no more.

Today we have Grappas, plural, each one with its own story to tell.

Time and time again on my travels abroad I’ve heard someone say:

“I no like Grappa: I go in holidays to Italy, and after dinner the waiter bring bottle of Grappa and leave on my table. Fifty per cent proof, waiter say me is famous brand, but it blow the roof of my mouth off! I no be drinking Grappa again”.

So I explain there’s no such thing as “Grappa”. What we have are Grappas, plural, and each one is different.

Because each comes from a different vine, a different still, a different marc, a different year. Each one is aged differently. Each producer has a different style…..

I explain that Grappa and wine are siblings, and that just as there are many wines, there are many Grappas, each one unique and inimitable.

It is this very complexity that makes Grappa so difficult to distil, yet at the same time makes it so tremendously fascinating.

It requires patience and repeated tasting, but once you have really made its acquaintance, any other distillate will pale in comparison.

Each bottle of Grappa opens up a marvellous world of aromas to explore.

All you have to do is open up your lips and above all your heart.

Once my foreign friend has sampled a number of different Grappas, I finally see his eyes light up as he says:“Grazie, now me like Grappa. Me like Grappas very much!”.